Midreef
Midreef boast some of the best coral formations in Sipadan: black coral, knotted fan corals and gorgonian sea fans.
Ascending you will find cabbage corals, table corals, green tree corals, and all manner of stony corals.
You can admire the many green and hawksbill turtles along with cruising white-tip reef sharks.
Midreef is Sipadan's coral encyclopaedia. Start deep and it's the rare-growth section — black coral, knotted fan corals, gorgonian seafans spread like rigging; ascend and the shallows page through cabbage corals, table corals, green tree corals and seemingly every stony coral the Indo-Pacific prints. Divers who think they've seen coral diversity recalibrate here.
Greens, hawksbills and leaf scorpionfish
The fauna keeps pace with the flora. Green and hawksbill turtles are so routine along this stretch that guides stop pointing them out by the third one, whitetips rest on the sand ledges, and the fish community shifts texture with every five metres of ascent — which is exactly what makes Midreef such a satisfying multilevel dive: the site rewards a slow, stepped profile more than any straight-line depth.
Photographer's note: if you shoot reef scenics, this is the tank to dedicate to them. The mid-depth fan terraces with a turtle in frame are Sipadan's most reliable wall-calendar shot, and the 30-metre visibility gives wide lenses room to breathe.
Midreef features in the standard permit-day rotation, and it's a favourite second dive after an adrenaline opener at Barracuda Point — the palate cleanser that turns out to be a main course. Contact us to arrange your Sipadan days, permits included.
- Depth
- 5-40 metres
- Visibility
- 30 metres (100 feet)
- Location
- South of Whitetip Avenue.
| Dive site | Min depth | Max depth | Level | Dive Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barracuda Point | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
| Coral gardens | 10m 33ft | 23m 75ft | OW | Wall, Reef |
| Hanging Gardens | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| Lobster lairs | 25m 82ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef, Big Fishes |
| North Point | 25m 82ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Drift, Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| South Point | 20m 65ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
| Staghorn Crest | 20m 65ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| The Jetty | 3m 10ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef |
| Turtle Cavern | 14m 46ft | 23m 75ft | AOW | Cave, Reef |
| Turtle Patch | 5m 16ft | 12m 39ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| Turtle Tomb | 17m 56ft | 23m 75ft | Divemaster | Cave |
| West Ridge | 18m 59ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| Whitetip Avenue | 17m 56ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| Midreef | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
| The Drop Off | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
Divers: book your Sipadan permits in advance!